Cailleach Bheur
| faction = | ageoftga = }} Cailleach Bheur, commonly known as Beira, is a Sinlarine witch and daughter of Cailleach Bheara who resides in Zion in the Fourth Age. She wields mystical powers and is surrounded by many legends which make her a rather controversial figure among her people. She got involved with the adventures of the Fellowship of Hidefall in the Third Age, leading to her becoming the witch she would come to be known as decades later. Biography Third Age Early Years Details about the past of Cailleach Bheur, or Beira, remain shrouded, and what is known is often coloured by local Sinlarine legends. Believed to be the unholy offspring of winter itself via her mother Cailleach Bheara, she was viewed with distrust and sometimes even outright hostility based on her white hair which Sinlarine saw as a bad omen. Her parents were said to have perished in the Faerfolc Rampage, and since then she lived by with her strength and cunning alone in an environment which viewed her with suspicion at best. Being a source of constant ridicule and dread did not weaken Beira; instead it strengthened her resolve to prove herself to her Sinlarine kinsmen. Because of her magical powers, she caught the eyes of the Red Sun's witches who approached her and taught her the ways of magic. Her time with the witches made her see those practitioners in a new light, which is why she was not afraid of them as many others were although she felt uncomfortable at times around witches she had not met before. Beira was tutored by Earnan Finian through her childhood, which led her to befriend several members of the Finian Clan, most notably Deidra Finian with whom she shared a close bond. Godslayer Era Deceiver's Gambit More info later. Heart of Darkness More info later. Despair's Wake Beira went to see a commotion in the city square in Trinity Gask where she found the O'Harris brothers addressing the citizens and explaining the horrors they'd witnessed in Survivor's Woods earlier. Puzzled by why the brothers were suddenly speaking against the witch who had saved their lives, she approached them only to end up being distracted by a boy pulling her hair. Annoyed at Sinlarine children trying to play pranks on her, she caught the boy and prepared to scold her only to realize much to her surprise that the boy was none other than Arcturius, the bard she had lasted talked to during the battle in Malperdy. Arc apologized and explained why he had ended up joining the Sinlarine children's prank. After the issue was settled, the two spoke, and Arcturius explained his problem which regarded Corwin Finian and his potential involvement in the comatose state of the elfess Bella Sirius whom he had dragged to Trinity Gask while Arc had observed them and grown suspicious of them. Beira was confused by Arc's accusation and claimed that Corwin wasn't someone who would take advantage of women like that. Still, she decided to help Arc out and took him to see the Weird Sisters who might know more about what was going on. The meeting ended up being cryptical as the witches only answered in riddles. However, the two teens did end up meeting a stray cat who befriended them, and Beira suggested that Arc should take care of the cat which should help him open up. As the two discussed what they'd learned from the witches, they were suddenly ambushed by a nymph named Kleodora who made Beira fall unconscious by blowing the pollen of Dreamshade on her in order to face less resistance as she tried to capture Arc. Beira's unconscious body was later found by Earnan who took her away from the busy street in the ensuing chaos. Garden of Fear After trying different remedies on Beira and failing, Earnan took her to the Temple of the Unknown God where he prayed to the spirits for guidance and managed to talk to the spirit of Deidra Finian briefly. After Deidra disappeared, he met with Grim Reaper who he believed had come to collect Beira's soul. A timely intervention from Axikasha Keiran, who happened upon the scene by chance, interrupted the Reaper's speech to Earnan, and the Reaper and his minions vanished, leaving Beira untouched. After some talks with Ax, Earnan led her to the nearest infirmary and took Beira with him, hoping that the Clergy of Artemicia might have a cure to Beira's condition which the spirits hadn't given. Ax parted ways with the pair after reaching the infirmary, and Earnan took Beira to meet with High Cleric Adela al-Saif who recognized her ailment as being a poisoning caused by Dreamshade. Earnan and Beira were escorted to a secluded part in the infirmary where the clerics of Artemicia would treat the girl once they had dealt with more acute cases first. More info later. Fourth Age Interim Years Aliases and Nicknames ; Beira : What most call her not only because it's easier to pronounce but also because it's said that invoking her true name three times in a row will lead to misfortune. ; Winter Hag : A derogatory nickname given to her by other Sinlarine who view her as a messenger of doom. It is based on her white hair and pale skin as well as her ice-blue eyes. ; Young Mother : What Befana called Beira much to Beira's dismay as she felt the old witch knew more about her than even she herself did. Appearance White hair, pale skin, ice-blue eyes. These separate her from the other, dark-haired Sinlarine who view her in a superstitious light because she differs from others. Personality and Traits She's intelligent and contemplative and more mature than many other teens, but she also has a fiery, snarky tongue which isn't afraid to lash out at those who try to categorize her. Although she is confident most of the time, she still feels she's under a lot of pressure, which isn't helped by how many Sinlarine girls her age often keep belittling and insulting her. Powers and Abilities She's a skilled archer with some knowledge of spellcraft. Relationships Arcturius Beira and Arc got along relatively well, especially after they discovered they were both musically gifted. They ended up collaborating in Malperdy to save the party from falling to a certain demise, and afterwards Beira was concerned for Arc's sanity after all the events they ended up witnessing in the depths of Malperdy. Arc was initially suspicious of her but ultimately warmed up to her even though he didn't let his guard down fully. However, when Beira was affected by a nymph's Dreamshade, it made Arc believe she had perished, after which she furiously chased after the nymph to avenge Beira. Befana When Befana talked to Beira, it made the latter feel very uncomfortable, so much so that Beira preferred to leave the forest instead of staying behind to aid the O'Harris brother who wanted to help the witch. When she later learned of what horrors the brothers had presumably seen in the witch's domain, she felt guilty for leaving them on their own against a creature of magical power. Cailleach Bheara Beira remembers very little about her mother Bheara and has to rely on Earnan to learn more about her rather shrouded past. She laments not getting to spend more time with her mother but is determined to prove herself and become someone her parents can be proud of. Earnan Finian Earnan acted as Beira's caretaker, guardian and mentor in matters of shamanism and knowledge of the world in general. They shared a close bond although occasionally Beira argued with Earnan about his careful actions. It was thanks to Earnan that Beira got to know the Finian Clan and eventually befriended many of its members. Fiona Mairin Fiona and Beira are rivals of a sort. Fiona keeps constantly belittling Beira and insulting her for her lackluster performance and whatever else she can think of. Beira sees Fiona as an immature brat but also can't help but envy her beauty and how boys swarm around her. Hannibal Losstarot Hannibal was intrigued by Beira and felt sympathy for her after he learned of her parents' demise. Beira, however, saw Hannibal as a desperate, immature flirt who knew nothing of the world around him. And yet she also found herself drawn to his charisma and the fact he too knew what it meant to lose those close to you. Jacob O'Harris Beira wasn't sure what to think of Jacob and his brother. On the one hand she saw how courageous they tried to be but also saw how their actions tended to end up causing damage. She viewed Jacob as the more responsible of the two brothers and felt envy towards him having a sibling, something she never got to experience as an only child. Jason O'Harris Beira wasn't sure what to think of Jason and his brother. On the one hand she saw how courageous they try to be but also saw how their actions tend to end up causing damage. When she learned that Jason had ended in danger and that she was partly to blame, though, she was willing to consider doing what she could to aid him out of a sense of guilt. See also *Arcturius *Cailleach Bheara *Finian Clan *Fiona Mairin *Hannibal Losstarot *Sinlarine *Red Sun Category:Characters from Libaterra Category:Characters from Zion Category:Fellowship of Hidefall Category:Fourth Age characters Category:Humans Category:Red Sun Category:Third Age characters